ABC's MODERN FAMILY Debuts as No. 1 TV Show

MODERN FAMILY opened as the #1 TV Show, as ABC's Wednesday Comedy Block wins from 8-10pm. With season openers of The Middle, Modern Family and debut of The Neighbors, ABC ranked #1 from 8-10pm in Adults 18-49, beating out runner-up Fox's primetime line-up (2-hour The X Factor) by 9%.

Opposite the opening hour of The X Factor and CBS' Survivor from 8-9pm, ABC's 4th season 1-hour premiere of The Middle dominated its NBC comedy competition, beating time-period comedy premieres (Animal Practice/Guys with Kids) by 80% in Total Viewers and by 87% in Adults 18-49. In fact, The Middle outdrew the first hour of The X Factor in Total Viewers.

Surging over its season finale in May with viewers (+38%) and young adults (+40%), The Middle scored its best numbers since January - since 1/11/12.

Shooting to the top of its 9pm slot to dominate the third half-hour of Fox's The X Factor and the season opener of CBS' Criminal Minds, ABC's Emmy-Award winning Modern Family opened its 4th season as Wednesday's definitive #1 TV show in viewers and young adults.

· Up sharply from its season closer with viewers (+41%) and young adults (+34%), Modern Family marked the series' 2nd-biggest audience ever for a regular telecast. In addition, the show marked its highest young adult rating since the beginning of the year - since 1/4/12. In addition, the ABC family comedy equaled its best-ever number with Kids 2-11.

· In Adults 18-49, Modern Family posted TV's highest-rated comedy telecast in more than 7 months - since 2/9/12.

Against the final half-hour of The X Factor in the 9:30pm slot, ABC's series debut of The Neighbors finished a strong second in its slot among Adults 18-49, tying the Fox show in audience share and beating the second half-hour of Criminal Minds by 10%. In addition, Neighbors stands as the 2nd highest new comedy premiere this season with young adults.

· The series debut of The Neighbors was up from the year-ago season opener of Happy Endings in the slot by 2.0 million viewers and by 6% in Adults 18-49. In addition, The Neighbors produced ABC's biggest audience in the slot with comedy programming in 1 year - since the year-ago opener of Modern Family on 9/21/11.

Photo courtesy of ABC

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